Grief and Loss Counselling in Port Coquitlam, BC.

My approach to grief and loss is to first acknowledge that grief is our natural human reaction to the sadness of losing something or someone intensely precious and meaningful to us. Losses can be the loss of a person, a relationship, a dream, a pregnancy, a job, or even things such as our health, independence, or dignity. Working with me, I will create an environment of compassion, authenticity, empathy, and caring. Step by step, I will walk with you as we examine your emotional world as it relates to loss. Emotions which are allowed to be experienced and expressed with the safety of a genuine and caring therapist, can release us from the pain we experience and can open the door to healing.

Are you feeling lost and overwhelmed after a loved one has passed away or a partner has left? Do you feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, or focus on your daily tasks? Grief can be a heavy burden, but you don't have to carry it alone. As a specialist in grief counselling, I can help you find a way through. By combining both warmth and compassion, as well as evidenced-based techniques, I can help you make sense of your loss. Together, we can find relief from the pain, while still honouring the memory of the person you've lost. If you're ready to start feeling better, don't hesitate to call.

Are you feeling sad, anxious, angry, lonely, guilty, relieved, isolated, confused, or numbed out? Loss and grief is most often associated with loss of life, but it can also be central to the presenting problems and underlying issues that are brought into my counselling office by most of my clients. Death, divorce, relocation, immigration, job loss, relationship breakdowns...these are all losses that we need to work through. Talking about your loss and processing your feelings is a good place to start.

Grief and loss is a profound and individualized experience. However, with ideas about specific stages of grief and appropriate and inappropriate types of grieving - grief and loss can be stigmatizing. Feelings of grief and loss can come from a wide range of experiences. For instances, these feelings can emerge from a death or loss of a loved one, an illness, death of a pet, loss from relationship or identity etc. In therapy we will explore your individual experience with grief and loss within the context of your life and life experiences. I offer support to individuals, couples, or families.

Losing a friend or family member can be devastating no matter the circumstances. We can also experience pain from losing a pet, a job or the ending of a relationship. Regardless of what kind of grief or loss you are struggling with, I will support you in facing your pain and finding a way forward. I will help you to understand the process and stages of grief and make sense of it. When we come to make meaning out of our loss our pain is lessened. I will also help you find peace and acceptance.

When we experience loss, we can become stuck in a pattern of negative feelings and emotions. It can be hard to more forward in the healing process. EMDR can help by targeting and reprocessing the underlying memories and emotions associated with the loss, thus allowing us to move through the stages of grief in a more healing and adaptive way. By reprocessing the negative experiences, we reduce the negative symptoms and increase our sense of emotional resilience and well-being.

The pain of grief and loss can truly be painful. This emotional challenge can extend beyond death. May it be the loss of a relationship - past or present, loss of health, retirement, financial loss, or the death of a loved one, I offer a compassionate and safe space to discuss this grief. In my practice I encourage clients to express their feelings about their losses as part of the processing journey. I offer strategies to cope with the overwhelming feelings while educating my clients about the stages of grief and the mind body relationship during such an experience. Recognizing that grief/loss are profoundly unique experiences, I embrace a person-centred approach during treatment planning.

It is beyond feeling down when you lose someone special or a loved one to death, addiction, divorce, immigration, or other life circumstances. You may find this a very lonely journey. We help you heal from your grief and loss using Narrative therapy, Gestalt therapy, and a person-centered approach while honouring the past about that loss and providing you with empathy in your grief journey.